Mophead holder having a universal joint and also capable of pivotal movement restrained along a vertical plane



3,050,762 PABLE OF Aug. 28, 1962 w. A. BALLINGER MOPHEAD HOLDER HAVING A UNIVERSAL JOINT AND ALSO CA PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RESTRAINED ALONG A VERTICAL PLANE Original Filed Aug. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVEMOR WALLACE ABALUNGER ATTORNEY g- 1962 w. A. BALLINGER 3, 50,762

MOPHEAD HOLDER HAVING A UNIVERSAL JOINT AND ALso CAPABLE OF PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RESTRAINED ALONG A VERTICAL PLANE Original Filed Aug. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 s 52 I Eqawn/ran WALLACE A. BALL/N65 atent Patented Aug. 28, 1952 fire 3,050,762 MOPHEAI) HOLDER HAVING A UNIVERSAL JOINT AND ALSO CAPABLE OF PIVQTAL MOVEMENT RESTRAWED ALONG A VER- TICAL PLANE Wallace Atkinson Ballinger, 8 Sycamore Road, (lrinda, Calif.

Original application Aug. 26, 1957, Ser. No. 680,264, now Patent No. 2,987,745, dated June 13, 1961. Divided and this application Nov. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 859,548

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-147) This invention relates to a mophead holder. More particularly, it relates to a holder providing an improved swivel mounting of the mophead. This application is a division of application Serial Number 680,264, tiled August 26, 1957, which issued as Patent No. 2,987,745 on lune13, 1961.

The present invention solves problems in connection with swiveling the mop holder relative to the handle. In many instances a mop with an ordinary swivel head is very inconvenient. It swivels exactly when the user does not want it to swivel, and when the user wants to swivel it, it will not respond. In the present invention, this problem has been solved by combining a novel type of universal joint connection with a locking means. When the handle is swung to one side of the mop, the connection is substantially rigid except for relative vertical movement between the handle and the mop holder; even this is limited in amount by a close fitting of the tolerances involved. When the handle is swung vertically across the mop holder to its other side, the mophead holder is free to swivel relatively to the handle into substantially any position so that it can clean corners and other areas difficult of access. At the same time, whether rigid or swiveling, the mop handle is movable vertically so that the mophead can get under furniture and other obstructions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the lower portion of a mop having a mophead holder embodying the present invention, the handle and the ends of the mophead being broken oil to enable use of a rather large scale drawing.

FIG. 2 is a top plan View of the mophead holder in FIG. 1. The holder is shown in solid lines in its extended position; the broken lines show one of the elements slid relatively to the other to collapsed position used during insertion and removal of a mophead.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective generally similar to FIG. 1 but showing in solid lines the mop holder in its retracted position for insertion and removal; broken lines showing the inserted position. Most of one side of the mophead and holder have been broken off to conserve space.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of the mop holder, on a somewhat enlarged scale, with the handle in the swivelable position.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the central portion of the mop holder on the scale of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the central portion of the mop holder, taken on the scale of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the central portion of the mop holder taken on the same scale as FIGS. 1 through 3. The handle-attachment portion of the mophead holder is shown in solid lines in a vertical position, while broken linesshow the extreme positions thereof along a plan perpendicular to the mop holder.

FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the central portion of the mop holder, showing the swiveling movement of the handle-attachment portion in a direction perpendicular to the movement shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view on a reduced scale of a mophead of the type used in my invention.

FIG. 1 shows the lower portion of a mop with a handle 11 most of which is broken 01f to conserve space, a mophead holder 11 of the present invention and a mophead 12. As shown in the drawings, the mophead or cleaning portion 12 may comprise an assembly of cotton string 13 with a'fabric backing 14. By way of example (see FIG. 9), it is shown as having a long rectangular shape, although some changes in the shape may be made without deviating from the principles of this invention. The fabric backing 14 is provided with a pair of sockets or pockets 15, one at each end, preferably made by folding a portion of the fabric back on the backing strip 14 and stitching it there on at least the two edges. The closed side may have a heavier fabric added to it for additional strength. The mop holder 11 is insertable into the pockets 15 for using the mop and is removable when the mophead 12 is to be washed, or when a change is to be made to another type of mophead.

The holder 11 of this invention includes a pair of generally rectangular plate members 16, 17. These plate members 16, 17 may be made of flat steel, but preferably their longitudinal edges are provided with upwardly and outwardly extending flanges 18. The purpose of these flanges 18 is to enable the two plate members 16, 17 to nest together. Flat plates would not of themselves have any guiding action during expansion or contraction of the mop holder 11.

Each plate 16, 17 is preferably provided with one longitudinally extending closed-end slot 19 and with a bolt opening 20 adapted to lie opposite the slot 19 of the other plate 17 or 16. Bolts 21 in the assembled mop each extend through the bolt opening 20 and the slot 19 in the two opposite plates 16, 17, and a suitable fastening and release means, such as a wing nut 22 and a washer 23, are provided, preferably on the upper surface of the upper plate member 16. As will be obvious from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, this means that the two plates 16, 17 can slide relatively to each other lengthwise, guided by their flanges 18 and by the slots 19 and bolts 21. This makes it possible to insert the plates 16, 17 into the pockets 15 by (1) collapsing the plates 17, 16 together to shorten their length, (2) inserting the upper plate 16 into one pocket 15, (3) sliding the lower plate 17 relative thereto with the nuts 22 loosened but still engaged until it engages the other pocket 15, and (4) tightening the nuts 22 firmly to hold the plates 16, 17 in the extended positron.

The upper plate 16 is provided, at a place which will, when the mophead holder 11 is in the, extended position, be at about the center thereof, with a pair of opposed bracket members (see FIGS. 4 to 8). These bracket members 30 may comprise corner members having three sides. A horizontal base side 31 is secured to the plate member 16, as by rivets 29, screws, or other suitable means. An upstanding flange 32 extends perpendicular to the plane of the plate 16 and also perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. The two flanges 32 face each other and are spaced apart for a purpose soon to be explained. They have a generally L-shaped or step-shape, having a higher portion 33 and a lower portion 34. The third corner 35 of the bracket members 30 is not essential, but is advisable to provide rigidity for these opposed parallel members 39. Aligned openings 36 are provided in the lower steps 34 of the parallel opposed flanges 32.

The mophead holder 11 is attached to a handle 10 by a handle receiving member 40 comprising a pair of steel plates 41, 42 formed into a generally circular tapered socket and secured together by welded side flanges 42. At their forward end, the plates 41, 42 are formed to provide a split yoke 43. The connection between this yoke 43 and the supporting bracket on the mop holder 11 is made by a novel type of universal connection 44. The universal joint member 44 preferably comprises a box-like member 45, which may be open at the ends, providing four sides 50, 52 generally rectangular and preferably square. A bolt 46 extends through the aligned openings 36 in the lower step 34 and through aligned openings 51 in the side walls 50 of the box-like member 45 to provide a pivotal connection to the upstanding parallel bracket flanges 32. Another bolt 47, perpendicular to this one at a short distance therefrom, extends through the other two sides 52 and connects the member 45 to the yoke member 43. This means that the handle is pivoted along an axis generally horizontal and lying in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mop holder 11, while the universal joint 44 is itself pivoted relatively to the brackets 30 by a generally horizontal pivot 46 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mop holder 11.

a It will be noticed also that the upper step 33 cooperates with the yoke 43, so that the yoke 43 extends approximately even with the top of the upper step 33 when the handle 10 is held perpendicular to the mop holder 11.

The upper portion of the step 33 provides a means for preventing the swiveling action on the upper bolt 47 and permits only movement along the plane perpendicular to the plates 16', 17. This means that when the user is holding the mop handle 10 on the same side of the mop as the upper steps 33, he is assured of relative rigidity, and the close fit of the tolerance provided by tightening the bolt 46 on the universal joint 44 between the two brackets 30 is enough to prevent accidental verticalmovement except when the user wantsit. On the other hand, once the mop handle 10 has been swung over to the other side, above the lower step 34,.the swiveling action is free to take place both inthe vertical plane heretofore mentioned and also in any plane perpendicular to that plane. This means that it is possible for the mophead to assume almost any position relative to its handle when on that side of the mop holder 11.

The operation of the present device is as follows: the handle 10 is inserted in the handle holder 40, and the mop-holding portion 11 is readied to receive the mop cleaning portion12 by loosening the wing nuts 22 or other tightening device, and moving the plates 16, 17 together. The bolts 21 and the slot 19 along with the flanges 18 guide the two plates 16, 17 parallel to one another to the closest position. The rectangular dusting-mop portion 12 is then laid on the floor, the mop-holding portion 11 is placed on top of the fabric backing 14 and once again the plates 16 and 17 are moved relative to one another, this time in anoutward direction so that the ends of the plates 16 and 17 are inserted into the pockets of the dusting portion 12. When the plates hit the ends of the pockets 15, the wing nuts 22 are tightened and the mop is ready for use. 7

Now, depending on thetype of area to be cleaned, the

handle 10 may be vertically tilted to either the swivel' side 34 of the mop holder 11 or it may be kept on the rigid side 33 of the mop holder 11, if no swivel action is desired.

a It can easily be seen that this assembled mop has many advantages over prior-art structures. The user may have a free movingmophead 12 withwhich to get into corners and other inaccessible. areas, or the user may keep the mophead'in its conventional position for covering large, flat surfaces which are unobstructed by desks, etc. At the same time, theuser may easily replace or substitute one mophead 12 for anotherwhen the used mophead 12 gets dirty, or when a job requires a different type of mop head 12. a

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widelydiffering 4 embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

I claim:

1. In a dust mop having a holder pivotally secured to a mop handle by means of a universal joint with an upper pivoted member and a lower pivoted member joined by a pivot, the combination in which said lower pivoted member of a universal joint is positioned between a pair of upwardly extending flanges on said mop holder, said flanges being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said upper pivoted member and each having two portions of different height, the lower portions being opposite each other and supporting apivot member extending transverse to said universal joint pivot, said pivot member constituting a pivotal connection between said flanges and said lower pivoted member, the upper edges of said lower portions-being lower than the lower end of said upper pivoted member, the higher portions extending above a portion of said upper pivoted member of said universal point, to maintain a fixed alignment between the handle and holder when the handle is'tilted in a direction where said upper pivoted member lies between said higher portions, While said universal joint can move about its own pivot when the handle is tilted in the other direction and the upper pivoted member lies above said lower portions.

2. A dust mop holder and handle including in combination: a mop holder frame having a longitudinal axis, a

handle-engaging member having a split yoke on its lower end, a rectangular member, a pivot pin extending through aligned openings in said yoke and said rectangular mem-' ber, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said mop holder, and upstanding parallel bracket flanges on said holder frame, said flanges being spaced apart a distance dicular to the longitudinal axis of said mop holderframe.

3. A, dust'mop holder having a handle-engagingmember pivotally secured to said holder by means of a'universal joint, said holder 'having two upstanding parallel flanges between which said universal joint is mounted,

each flange having an upper step and a lower step, a pivotal connection through said lower step to one member of said universal joint and a second pivotal connectionabove said lower step and perpendicular to said first pivotal connection, joining the said one member to anotherv member of said universal joint, said other member being fixed to the handle-engaging member, said flanges being 7' spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the'thickness of said universal joint whereby when the handle en-' gaging member is on the lower-step side, said handleengaging member is free to move in any direction, where- 'as when tilted to the upper step side the handle-engaging member is limited to movement about said first pivotal connection, the upper step of the parallel flanges preventing movement about the upper pivot.

ReferencesCited in the file of this pat ent UNITED STATES, PATENTS Steiner Nov. 29, 1955 

